White lion gives birth to a rare outcome, which many are calling 'lucky'

Wendy Tanielian

Contributing Writer

AP Archive / YouTube

Nothing warms the heart like baby animals, especially if it strengthens a rare breed's presence in the world. These three white lion cubs, an unusual coloring of the Kruger subspecies of African lion, strengthen the breed just from surviving their birth.

"Luckily the birth went all smoothly," Andrzej Pabich, head of the private zoo in Borysew, Poland where the cubs were born, told The Associated Press, according to NY Daily News. "We had doubts whether it would all be OK, whether she might reject them, whether she will have milk. But turns out everything ended well."

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According to a recent story in National Geographic only 13 of these rare pale lions remain in their natural South African habitat. Experts estimate that less than 300 live around the globe in captivity. While officials only documented the species in the 1970s, they were first spotted back in 1938.

According to the story, the white color stems from a rare recessive gene. That, along with the normal difficulties that occur with multiple births, makes these cubs a true cause for celebration.